In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, during the tale of Imam Ali and the defeated adversary, Ali articulates a profound Sufi perspective on mortality. Explaining why he harbors no anger toward his would-be murderer, Ali reveals that he views physical death not as destruction, but as a spiritual blossoming and a joyful return to his divine "homeland." Rumi uses Ali's dialogue to reframe the concept of dying: just as leaving the womb is a departure for an embryo but a fresh awakening into a larger world, physical death is a liberation from worldly dispersion back toward divine Unity. Ali’s declaration that "in my death is my life" exemplifies the Sufi ideal of eagerly embracing the transition from the transient material world to the eternal presence of God.

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## Original content
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از علی آموز اخلاص عمل 
شیر حق را دان مطهر از دغل
در غزا بر پهلوانی دست یافت 
زود شمشیری بر آورد و شتافت
او خدو انداخت در روی علی 
افتخار هر نبی و هر ولی
آن خدو زد بر رخی که روی ماه 
سجده آرد پیش او در سجده‌گاه
در زمان انداخت شمشیر آن علی 
کرد او اندر غزااش کاهلی
گشت حیران آن مبارز زین عمل 
وز نمودن عفو و رحمت بی‌محل
گفت بر من تیغ تیز افراشتی 
از چه افکندی مرا بگذاشتی
آن چه دیدی بهتر از پیکار من 
تا شدی تو سست در اشکار من
آن چه دیدی که چنین خشمت نشست 
تا چنان برقی نمود و باز جست
آن چه دیدی که مرا زان عکس دید 
در دل و جان شعله‌ای آمد پدید
آن چه دیدی برتر از کون و مکان 
که به از جان بود و بخشیدیم جان
در شجاعت شیر ربانیستی 
در مروت خود کی داند کیستی
در مروت ابر موسیی بتیه 
کآمد از وی خوان و نان بی‌شبیه
ابرها گندم دهد کان را بجهد 
پخته و شیرین کند مردم چو شهد
ابر موسی پر رحمت بر گشاد 
پخته و شیرین بی زحمت بداد
از برای پخته‌خواران کرم 
رحمتش افراخت در عالم علم
تا چهل سال آن وظیفه و آن عطا 
کم نشد یک روز زان اهل رجا
تا هم ایشان از خسیسی خاستند 
گندنا و تره و خس خواستند
امت احمد که هستید از کرام 
تا قیامت هست باقی آن طعام
چون ابیت عند ربی فاش شد 
یطعم و یسقی کنایت ز آش شد
هیچ بی‌تاویل این را در پذیر 
تا در آید در گلو چون شهد و شیر
زانک تاویلست وا داد عطا 
چونک بیند آن حقیقت را خطا
آن خطا دیدن ز ضعف عقل اوست 
عقل کل مغزست و عقل جزو پوست
خویش را تاویل کن نه اخبار را 
مغز را بد گوی نه گلزار را
ای علی که جمله عقل و دیده‌ای 
شمه‌ای واگو از آنچ دیده‌ای
تیغ حلمت جان ما را چاک کرد 
آب علمت خاک ما را پاک کرد
بازگو دانم که این اسرار هوست 
زانک بی شمشیر کشتن کار اوست
صانع بی آلت و بی جارحه 
واهب این هدیه‌های رابحه
صد هزاران می چشاند هوش را 
که خبر نبود دو چشم و گوش را
باز گو ای باز عرش خوش‌شکار 
تا چه دیدی این زمان از کردگار
چشم تو ادراک غیب آموخته 
چشمهای حاضران بر دوخته
آن یکی ماهی همی‌بیند عیان 
وان یکی تاریک می‌بیند جهان
وان یکی سه ماه می‌بیند بهم 
این سه کس بنشسته یک موضع نعم
چشم هر سه باز و گوش هر سه تیز 
در تو آویزان و از من در گریز
سحر عین است این عجب لطف خفیست 
بر تو نقش گرگ و بر من یوسفیست
عالم ار هجده هزارست و فزون 
هر نظر را نیست این هجده زبون
راز بگشا ای علی مرتضی 
ای پس سؤ القضا حسن القضا
یا تو واگو آنچ عقلت یافتست 
یا بگویم آنچ برمن تافتست
از تو بر من تافت چون داری نهان 
می‌فشانی نور چون مه بی زبان
لیک اگر در گفت آید قرص ماه 
شب روان را زودتر آرد به راه
از غلط ایمن شوند و از ذهول 
بانگ مه غالب شود بر بانگ غول
ماه بی گفتن چو باشد رهنما 
چون بگوید شد ضیا اندر ضیا
چون تو بابی آن مدینهٔ علم را 
چون شعاعی آفتاب حلم را
باز باش ای باب بر جویای باب 
تا رسد از تو قشور اندر لباب
باز باش ای باب رحمت تا ابد 
بارگاه ما له کفوا احد
هر هوا و ذره‌ای خود منظریست 
نا گشاده کی گود کانجا دریست
تا بنگشاید دری را دیدبان 
در درون هرگز نجنبد این گمان
چون گشاده شد دری حیران شود 
مرغ اومید و طمع پران شود
غافلی ناگه به ویران گنج یافت 
سوی هر ویران از آن پس می‌شتافت
تا ز درویشی نیابی تو گهر 
کی گهر جویی ز درویشی دگر
سالها گر ظن دود با پای خویش 
نگذرد ز اشکاف بینیهای خویش
تا ببینی نایدت از غیب بو 
غیر بینی هیچ می‌بینی بگو

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## English translation
Learn sincerity of action from Ali; know the Lion of God to be purified from deceit. In battle he got the upper hand over a champion; he quickly drew a sword and rushed on. That man spat in Ali's face, the pride of every prophet and every saint. That spit struck a face before which the face of the moon would prostrate in the place of prostration. At that moment Ali threw down the sword and showed slackness in fighting him. The combatant was bewildered by this act, and by the display of pardon and mercy at so unsuitable a time. He said, "You had raised a sharp sword against me; why did you throw it down and spare me? What did you see that was better than fighting me, so that you grew slack in hunting me? What did you see that made your anger subside, after it flashed like lightning and sprang back? What did you see, from the reflection of which a flame appeared in my heart and soul? What did you see beyond being and place, that was better than life, so that you gave me life? In courage you are a lion of the Lord; in generosity, who indeed knows what you are? In generosity you are Moses' cloud in the wilderness, from which came a peerless table and bread. Clouds give wheat, which people then cook with effort and make sweet as honey. Moses' cloud opened full of mercy and gave cooked and sweet food without effort. For the sake of those who eat cooked bounty, His mercy raised a banner in the world. For forty years that provision and gift did not diminish for one day for that people of hope, until they themselves rose up out of baseness and asked for leeks, herbs, and greens. O community of Ahmad, you who are among the noble, that food remains until the Resurrection. When 'I spend the night with my Lord' was disclosed, 'He feeds me and gives me drink' became an allusion to soup/food. Accept this without interpretation at all, so that it may enter your throat like honey and milk. For interpretation is returning the gift, when it sees that reality as error. Seeing it as error comes from the weakness of one's intellect: Universal Intellect is the kernel, and partial intellect is the husk. Interpret yourself, not the reports; blame the kernel, not the rose garden. O Ali, you who are wholly intellect and sight, tell a trace of what you have seen. The sword of your forbearance has split our soul; the water of your knowledge has purified our clay. Tell it again; I know these secrets are of Hu, for killing without a sword is His work: the Maker without instrument or limb, giver of these profitable gifts, who makes consciousness taste hundreds of thousands of things of which the two eyes and ears had no news. Tell again, O falcon of the Throne, fine hunter, what you saw just now from the Creator. Your eye has learned perception of the unseen; the eyes of those present are sewn shut. One person plainly sees one moon, another sees the world dark, and another sees three moons together; yes, these three people are sitting in one place. The eyes of all three are open and the ears of all three sharp; they cling to you and flee from me. This is a magic of the eye; this is a wondrous hidden grace: to you the image is a wolf, to me it is Joseph. If the worlds are eighteen thousand and more, not all these eighteen are subdued to every gaze. Open the secret, O Ali Murtada, O good decree after evil decree. Either tell what your intellect has found, or I will tell what has shone upon me. It shone upon me from you; why keep it hidden? You scatter light like the moon without a tongue. But if the moon's disk were to come into speech, it would bring night travelers to the road sooner. They would be safe from error and heedlessness; the moon's call would overpower the ghoul's call. When the moon is a guide without speaking, when it speaks it becomes light upon light. Since you are the gate of that city of knowledge, since you are a ray of the sun of forbearance, be open, O gate, to the seeker of the gate, so that through you husks may reach the kernel. Be open forever, O gate of mercy, the court of 'He has no equal.' Every desire and every particle is itself a lookout point; if it is unopened, how could anyone say, 'There is a door there'? Until a doorkeeper opens a door, such a thought never stirs within. When a door has been opened, one is amazed; the bird of hope and longing takes flight. A heedless person suddenly found treasure in a ruin; afterward he rushed toward every ruin. Until you find a jewel in poverty, how would you seek a jewel from another poverty? If conjecture runs for years on its own feet, it will not pass beyond the clefts of its own nose. Until you see, no scent comes to you from the unseen; you see only otherness: tell me, do you see anything else?

دفتر اول - بخش ۱۶۴ - خدو انداختن خصم در روی امیر المؤمنین علی کرم الله وجهه و انداختن امیرالمؤمنین علی شمشیر از دست / Book One - Section 164 - The Adversary Spitting in the Face of the Commander of the Faithful Ali, May God Honor His Face, and the Commander of the Faithful Ali Dropping the Sword from His Hand

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باز رو سوی علی و خونیش 
وان کرم با خونی و افزونیش
گفت دشمن را همی‌بینم به چشم 
روز و شب بر وی ندارم هیچ خشم
زانک مرگم همچو من خوش آمدست 
مرگ من در بعث چنگ اندر زدست
مرگ بی مرگی بود ما را حلال 
برگ بی برگی بود ما را نوال
ظاهرش مرگ و به باطن زندگی 
ظاهرش ابتر نهان پایندگی
در رحم زادن جنین را رفتنست 
در جهان او را ز نو بشکفتنست
چون مرا سوی اجل عشق و هواست 
نهی لا تلقوا بایدیکم مراست
زانک نهی از دانهٔ شیرین بود 
تلخ را خود نهی حاجت کی شود
دانه‌ای کش تلخ باشد مغز و پوست 
تلخی و مکروهیش خود نهی اوست
دانهٔ مردن مرا شیرین شدست 
بل هم احیاء پی من آمدست
اقتلونی یا ثقاتی لائما 
ان فی قتلی حیاتی دائما
ان فی موتی حیاتی یا فتی 
کم افارق موطنی حتی متی
فرقتی لو لم تکن فی ذا السکون 
لم یقل انا الیه راجعون
راجع آن باشد که باز آید به شهر 
سوی وحدت آید از تفریق دهر

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## English translation
Turn back toward Ali and his murderer,\nAnd to that generosity toward the murderer and its increase.\nHe said: "I see the enemy with my own eyes;\nDay and night I bear no anger against him.\nFor my death has become as pleasant to me as I am [to myself];\nMy death has clutched at the resurrection.\nDeath without death is lawful for us;\nThe provision of 'no-provision' is our bounty.\nIts outward form is death, its inward form life;\nIts outward form is cut off, its secret form is endurance.\nFor the embryo, being born from the womb is a departure;\nIn the world, it is a fresh blossoming for him.\nSince I have love and passion for the appointed time,\nThe prohibition 'do not cast [yourselves] into destruction' applies to me.\nFor prohibition is for the sweet seed;\nWhen does the bitter one need prohibition?\nA seed whose kernel and husk are bitter—\nIts bitterness and repulsiveness are its own prohibition.\nThe seed of dying has become sweet to me;\nRather, 'they are alive' has come regarding me.\nKill me, O my trusted ones, blaming [me];\nFor in my being killed is my life forever.\nIn my death is my life, O youth;\nHow long shall I be separated from my homeland, until when?\nIf my separation were not in this stillness,\nHe would not have said, 'To Him we are returning.'\nThe one who returns is the one who comes back to the city,\nWho comes toward Unity from the dispersion of time."

دفتر اول - بخش ۱۶۹ - بازگشتن به حکایت علی کرم الله وجهه و مسامحت کردن او با خونی خویش / Book One - Section 169 - Returning to the Tale of Ali, May God Honor His Face, and His Generosity Toward His Murderer

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Huggingface Model Summary

Ali's Reconceptualization of Death as Spiritual Birth in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the narrative of Imam Ali and the defeated adversary addresses a potential paradox regarding Ali's political power. If Ali has truly transcended physical desires and views death as a joyous "feast" and "narcissus-bed," why would he accept the earthly title of Caliph? Rumi clarifies that a spiritual master who has "rooted out the body" harbors no greed for emirship or worldly dominion. Instead, Ali's assumption of leadership is strictly an outward form, undertaken solely to guide other commanders in the ways of justice. By taking on the role of ruler, Ali aims to infuse "rulership with another soul" and cause the "palm of the caliphate to bear fruit." This passage illustrates the Sufi ideal that true, just leadership can only be exercised by one who is completely detached from the allure of worldly power.

Imam Ali's Spiritual Motivation for Outward Rulership in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, responding to the defeated warrior's inquiry, Imam Ali reveals the profound spiritual principle guiding his actions: he operates entirely for the sake of God. Ali distinguishes himself as the "Lion of God" ($$شیر حق$$) rather than a "lion of passion" ($$شیر هوا$$), meaning his combat is a divine duty, not a pursuit of personal vengeance. He explains that when the adversary spat in his face, a personal motive—anger—was aroused. Had he struck the fatal blow at that moment, it would have been an act of ego rather than divine justice. To illustrate his absolute spiritual stability, Ali compares his soul to a mountain that cannot be moved by the "winds" of anger, lust, or greed. This explanation highlights the Sufi ideal of annihilating the ego, demonstrating that true spiritual mastery requires every action, whether giving or withholding, to be executed purely out of divine love and will.

Imam Ali's Metaphor of the Lion of God in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's *Masnavi*, the narrative of Imam Ali extends to a profound revelation: the Prophet Muhammad had prophesied that Ali would eventually be killed by his own servant. Horrified by this inevitable fate, the servant repeatedly begs Ali to execute him prematurely to prevent the treacherous act. Ali steadfastly refuses, explaining that "the pen has dried" and one cannot employ tricks against divine destiny. More profoundly, Ali harbors no hatred toward his future murderer because he perceives the servant merely as "God's instrument," asserting that the true agent of all actions is God's hand. When the servant questions the purpose of divine retribution if human actions are predestined, Ali responds that retribution is a hidden divine mystery. He explains that when God breaks His own instrument or abrogates a law, He ultimately replaces it with something superior, demonstrating that divine wrath and grace originate from a single, unified source.

Imam Ali's Submission to Divine Destiny and the Instrument of God in the Masnavi

In Jalaluddin Rumi's Masnavi, the conclusion of the encounter between Imam Ali and the spitting adversary highlights the transformative power of spiritual restraint, which Rumi terms the 'sword of forbearance' ($$تیغ حلم$$). After Ali explains that he spared the warrior because his personal anger had compromised his purely divine intention, the bewildered adversary experiences a spiritual awakening, severs his zunnar (a symbol of unbelief), and embraces Islam alongside fifty of his kin. Rumi contrasts physical warfare with spiritual conquest, asserting that the 'sword of forbearance is sharper than the iron sword.' While an iron weapon merely destroys bodies and takes lives, Ali's deliberate refusal to strike out of ego conquers hearts and brings true victory. This metaphor illustrates the Sufi ideal that suppressing the lower self and acting solely for God yields a far greater, life-giving triumph than any conventional battlefield success.

The Metaphor of the Sword of Forbearance in the Masnavi

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پس بگفت آن نو مسلمان ولی 
از سر مستی و لذت با علی
که بفرما یا امیر المؤمنین 
تا بجنبد جان بتن در چون جنین
هفت اختر هر جنین را مدتی 
می‌کنند ای جان به نوبت خدمتی
چونک وقت آید که جان گیرد جنین 
آفتابش آن زمان گردد معین
این جنین در جنبش آید ز آفتاب 
کآفتابش جان همی‌بخشد شتاب
از دگر انجم به جز نقشی نیافت 
این جنین تا آفتابش بر نتافت
از کدامین ره تعلق یافت او 
در رحم با آفتاب خوب‌رو
از ره پنهان که دور از حس ماست 
آفتاب چرخ را بس راههاست
آن رهی که زر بیابد قوت ازو 
و آن رهی که سنگ شد یاقوت ازو
آن رهی که سرخ سازد لعل را 
وان رهی که برق بخشد نعل را
آن رهی که پخته سازد میوه را 
و آن رهی که دل دهد کالیوه را
بازگو ای باز پر افروخته 
با شه و با ساعدش آموخته
باز گو ای بار عنقاگیر شاه 
ای سپاه‌اشکن بخود نه با سپاه
امت وحدی یکی و صد هزار 
بازگو ای بنده بازت را شکار
در محل قهر این رحمت ز چیست 
اژدها را دست دادن راه کیست

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## English translation
Then that newly converted Muslim, from intoxication and delight, said to Ali: “Command, O Commander of the Faithful, so that the soul may move in the body like an embryo. The seven stars serve every embryo for a time, O soul, each in turn. When the time comes for the embryo to receive soul, the sun then becomes its helper. This embryo is set in motion by the sun, for its sun quickly gives it soul. From the other stars this embryo received only a form, until its sun shone upon it. By what path did it find attachment, in the womb, to the fair-faced sun? By a hidden path, far from our senses; the sun of the sphere has many paths: the path by which gold receives strength from it, and the path by which stone becomes ruby; the path that reddens the ruby, and the path that gives lightning-spark to the shoeing nail; the path that ripens fruit, and the path that gives heart to the bewildered one. Speak again, O falcon with kindled wings, trained with the king and with his forearm. Speak again, O burden-bearer of the king who catches the Anqa, O army-breaker by yourself, not with an army. A single community are you, one and a hundred thousand. Speak again, O servant whose falcon has hunted you. In the place of wrath, whence is this mercy? Whose way is it to give a hand to the dragon?”

دفتر اول - بخش ۱۶۵ - سؤال کردن آن کافر از علی کرم الله وجهه کی بر چون منی مظفر شدی شمشیر از دست چون انداختی / Book One - Section 165 - That Infidel Asking Ali, May God Honor His Face, 'When You Were Victorious Over One Like Me, Why Did You Drop the Sword from Your Hand?'

## Original content
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باز آمد کای علی زودم بکش 
تا نبینم آن دم و وقت ترش
من حلالت می‌کنم خونم بریز 
تا نبیند چشم من آن رستخیز
گفتم ار هر ذره‌ای خونی شود 
خنجر اندر کف به قصد تو رود
یک سر مو از تو نتواند برید 
چون قلم بر تو چنان خطی کشید
لیک بی غم شو شفیع تو منم 
خواجهٔ روحم نه مملوک تنم
پیش من این تن ندارد قیمتی 
بی تن خویشم فتی ابن الفتی
خنجر و شمشیر شد ریحان من 
مرگ من شد بزم و نرگسدان من
آنک او تن را بدین سان پی کند 
حرص میری و خلافت کی کند
زان به ظاهر کو شد اندر جاه و حکم 
تا امیران را نماید راه و حکم
تا امیری را دهد جانی دگر 
تا دهد نخل خلافت را ثمر

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## English translation
He returned, saying, “O Ali, kill me quickly, so that I may not see that bitter moment and hour. I make my blood lawful to you; shed it, so that my eyes will not see that resurrection.” I said, “Even if every atom became a blood-shedder and went, dagger in hand, intending you, it could not cut a single hair-tip from you, since the Pen has drawn such a line for you. But be free of grief: I am your intercessor. I am master of the spirit, not a slave of the body. In my sight this body has no worth; without the body I am my own true self, a valiant man, son of a valiant man. Dagger and sword have become my basil; my death has become my feast and my narcissus-bed. One who roots out the body in this way, how could he be greedy for emirship and caliphate? He entered rank and judgment only in outward form, so as to show commanders the way and just rule, to give rulership another soul, and to make the palm of the caliphate bear fruit.”

دفتر اول - بخش ۱۷۰ - افتادن رکابدار هر باری پیش امیر المؤمنین علی کرم الله وجهه کی ای امیر المؤمنین مرا بکش و ازین قضا برهان / Book One - Section 170 - The Stirrup-Holder Falling Each Time Before the Commander of the Faithful Ali, May God Honor His Face, Saying, 'O Commander of the Faithful, Kill Me and Deliver Me From This Destiny'

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